Hot Topics:

Trio has unforgettable experience

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
07/22/2014 06:38:18 AM EDT

LEOMINSTER -- Three local youth lacrosse players not only got the opportunity to compete on the highest stage at the Lacrosse Festival Tournament at the World Lacrosse Championships, but also built memories to last a lifetime.

The three athletes got the chance to interact with professional lacrosse players, see international professionals compete and demonstrate sportsmanship, while taking in some of the country's most beautiful landscapes in Denver last week.

"The kids learned a lot about competitive lacrosse, the respect for the game, and how these pros have the same respect for the game," Leominster Youth Lacrosse President Larry Cordio said. "These are the values we try to instill in our players."

Eighth graders Johnny Doherty and Jack Cordio competed on the U15 squad for the Massachusetts Bay Youth Team, while Cam Reirden was the lone local member of the U13 squad.

The two teams competed against opponents from all over the country. The U15 squad finished tied for fifth place overall out of 30 teams, while the U13 group finished a respectable ninth overall out of 40 teams.

"The boys represented themselves very well and were very successful," Larry Cordio said. "It was absolutely the best competition that these boys have ever seen. Some of them have been to the bigger tournaments on the East Coast, and these were heads and tails above anything they've done.

Advertisement

"

The World Lacrosse Championship tournament features the best lacrosse players in the world representing their respective nations in the competition, which takes place every four years.

The local boys boarded in the same hotel as the Iroquois National Team, one of the most popular teams in the world. The four Thompson brothers headline the star-studded group.

"The Thompson brothers are the latest and greatest craze in men's lacrosse in the United States," Larry Cordio said. "The entire team was in the same hotel as us and it really made for a great environment."

The Iroquois and the local youth both supported each other prior to their respective competitions, building a mutual fan base.

"When we were leaving for games, they were in the lobby wishing the kids good luck," Larry Cordio said. "In return our kids were doing the same thing for them, because they were leaving six hours later for their games."

The local kids and Iroquois National team ate in the same dining facility and the pros interacted with the youth players, taking pictures and chatting with them. The Mass Bay players also exchanged a token of friendship with the players, giving them a shirt in return for a gift the professionals gave.

"The professions respected the kids, and of course the kids respected the professionals," Larry Cordio said. "They were really pleased to talk to our kids. Most professional athletes sign autographs and are shuffled out the side door. It really made for a great environment at the hotel."

There were a handful of new teams at the competition, including a team from Uganda, the first African representative at the games. The Mass Bay representatives caught the Iroquois game against Canada and saw the Ugandan team make an entrance to the field and receive a warm reception.

"To see the different flags, different color uniforms, and different skill sets was great for the kids," Larry Cordio said. "At the Canada versus Iroquois game there were about seven to eight thousand people in attendance who all gave a standing ovation to the Ugandan team making their entrance with their woolen shawls on because they were at the tournament and competing."

The way the schedule broke down, the two local squads ended up getting the early games and were the first teams to take to the fields at a complex that boasts 23 lacrosse fields.

"The dew on the grass and the Rocky Mountains in the background was phenomenal," Larry Cordio said. "In the long run, they're going to realize how nice it was to be playing on a lacrosse field with a backdrop like that."

It took a year worth of planning to get the athletes out to the championships and players earned a selection based not only on their playing abilities, but their character off the field.

"It's our principle philosophy to honor the game," Massachusetts Bay Youth Lacrosse Board Member Joey Picard said. "We don't keep standings or records. We're not one of these win at all costs types of programs. We look to have the students honor the game and embody sportsmanship."

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.